''River Deep – Mountain High'' is a studio album by

Ike & Tina Turner Ike & Tina Turner was an American musical duo consisting of husband-and-wife Ike Turner and Tina Turner. From 1960 to 1976, they performed live as the Ike & Tina Turner Revue, supported by the Kings of Rhythm and backing vocalists, the Ikettes. ...

. It was originally released by

London Records London Recordings (or London Records and London Music Stream) is a British record label that marketed records in the United States, Canada, and Latin America for Decca Records from 1947 to 1980 before becoming semi-independent. The London nam ...

in the UK in 1966, and later

A&M Records A&M Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group and functions as a branch of Interscope Geffen A&M Records, Interscope-Geffen-A&M. Established in 1962 by Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss, the label initially operated independent ...

in the US in 1969. In 2017, ''

Pitchfork A pitchfork or hay fork is an agricultural tool used to pitch loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. It has a long handle and usually two to five thin tines designed to efficiently move such materials. The term is also applie ...

'' ranked it at No. 40 on their list of the 200 Best Albums of the 1960s.

Background and recording

After watching Ike & Tina Turner perform in a club on the

Sunset Strip The Sunset Strip is the stretch of Sunset Boulevard that passes through the city of West Hollywood, California, United States. It extends from West Hollywood's eastern border with the city of Los Angeles near Marmont Lane to its western bord ...

, producer

Phil Spector Harvey Phillip Spector (December 26, 1939 – January 16, 2021) was an American record producer and songwriter who is best known for pioneering recording practices in the 1960s, followed by his trials and conviction for murder in the 2000s. S ...

invited them to perform on ''The Big T.N.T Show'' in 1965. Spector wanted to produce for

Tina Turner Tina Turner (born Anna Mae Bullock; November 26, 1939 – May 24, 2023) was a singer, songwriter, actress, and author. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of Rock 'n' Roll", her vocal prowess, raspy voice, and electrifyin ...

and sign the duo to his Philles label. He negotiated a deal with Ike Turner for creative control over his sessions with Tina Turner, but Ike & Tina Turner were still signed to

Loma Records Loma Records was an American subsidiary record label of Warner Bros. Records managed by Bob Krasnow, and later by Russ Regan. Its name was derived from Eloma, a cleared copyright Warner owned. History In March 1964, Warner Bros. president Mik ...

, a subsidiary of

Warner Bros. Records Warner Records Inc. (known as Warner Bros. Records Inc. until 2019) is an American record label. A subsidiary of Warner Music Group, it is headquartered in Los Angeles, California. It was founded on March 19, 1958, as the recorded music division ...

. Spector negotiated a deal with their manager Bob Krasnow, also head of Loma, offering $20,000 to have them released from their contract. Spector signed Ike & Tina Turner and

the Ikettes The Ikettes, originally The Artettes, were a trio (sometimes quartet) of female backing vocalists for the Ike & Tina Turner Revue. Despite their origins, the Ikettes became successful artists in their own right. In the 1960s they had chart-toppe ...

to his label in April 1966. By the time Ike & Tina Turner signed to Philles, the album had already been recorded at

Gold Star Studios Gold Star Studios was an independent recording studio located in Hollywood, Los Angeles, Hollywood, California. In its entire history, Gold Star was one of the most successful commercial recording studios in the world. Founded by David S. Gold ...

in March 1966.

produced six songs using his

wall of sound The Wall of Sound (also called the Spector Sound) is a music production formula developed by American record producer Phil Spector at Gold Star Studios, in the 1960s, with assistance from engineer Larry Levine and the conglomerate of session m ...

technique, including the title track, which was the first of three singles. Ike Turner produced the remaining tracks which are mostly re-recordings of Ike & Tina Turner's earlier hits. The Ikettes, which included P.P. Arnold, provided backing vocals on the Turner-produced side of the album. The first single "

River Deep – Mountain High "River Deep – Mountain High" is a song by Ike & Tina Turner released on Philles Records as the title track to their 1966 studio album. Produced by Phil Spector and written by Spector, Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich. ''Rolling Stone'' ranked ...

" was released in May 1966 and peaked at No. 88 on ''Billboard'' Hot 100. The single was a hit in Europe, reaching No. 3 in the UK and No. 1 in Spain. The second single, "I'll Never Need More Than This", was not included on the original album. It missed the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, peaking at No. 115 on

Bubbling Under the Hot 100 Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles (also known as Bubbling Under the Hot 100) is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. The chart lists the top songs that have not yet charted on the main ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Chart ...

. It reached No. 64 in the UK.

promoted the single on ''

American Bandstand ''American Bandstand'' (AB) is an American Music television, music performance and dance television series that aired in various iterations from 1952 to 1989. It was hosted by Dick Clark who also served as the program's Television producer, pr ...

'' in 1967. The third single, " A Love Like Yours (Don't Come Knocking Everyday)", reached No. 16 in the UK.

Releases

1966

''River Deep – Mountain High'' was intended to be released on Phil Spector's Philles label as LP-4011 in the US, but it was shelved when the single "River Deep – Mountain High" did not do well on the charts. Only a few copies of LP-4011 were pressed, the covers were never printed, before it was canceled by Philles. However, the single was successful in England. By popular demand, Spector released the album in the UK with liner notes written by

Decca Decca may refer to: Music * Decca Records or Decca Music Group, record label * Decca Gold, classical music record label owned by Universal Music Group * Decca Broadway, musical theater record label * Decca Studios, recording facility in West ...

's promotion man Tony Hall. Hall included a quote from Spector stating, "We can only assume that England is more appreciative of talent and exciting music than the U.S." Actor

Dennis Hopper Dennis Lee Hopper (May 17, 1936 – May 29, 2010) was an American actor, filmmaker, photographer and visual artist. He was considered one of the key figures of New Hollywood. He earned prizes from the Cannes Film Festival and Venice Internatio ...

shot the cover of the album. The album peaked at No. 27 in the UK. In September 1966, Ike & Tina Turner embarked on a UK Tour with

the Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for over six decades, they are one of the most popular, influential, and enduring bands of the Album era, rock era. In the early 1960s, the band pione ...

to support the album.

1969

The album was eventually released in the United States when it was reissued by

in 1969. The reissue has a slightly different track listing. It substitutes "You're So Fine" with "

I'll Never Need More Than This "I'll Never Need More Than This" is a single by R&B duo Ike & Tina Turner released on Philles Records in 1967. The song was included on the 1969 reissue of the album ''River Deep – Mountain High''. Recording and release "I'll Never Need More ...

," which was released as a non-album track in 1967. Upon its release in the US, the album reached No. 102 on the ''Billboard'' 200 and No. 28 on the

R&B Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a music chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine that ranks R&B and hip-hop albums based on sales in the United States and is compiled by Luminate. The chart debuted as Hot R&B LPs in the issue dated January 30, ...

chart.

Critical reception

The album received positive reviews. ''The Journal'' (October 8, 1966):

It's a pity that Spector and the Turners have parted company, for this album confirms that Tina's deep and throaty vocals are a perfect foil for his symphonie backing. The Spector-style treatment of standards like "Save the Last Dance For Me" and "Every Day I Have To Cry" is really worth hearing since it blends with wild, rhythmic blues style of the Turners with his rich, enormous sound creations. The other seven tracks show the Turners unadorned and in their best fettle.

''Billboard'' (September 13, 1969):

Reissues

The album was reissued on CD by A&M in 1987. It has since been reissued on CD by various labels, most recently

Universal Music Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as Universal Music Group or Universal Music) is a Dutch– American multinational music corporation under Dutch law. UMG's corporate headquarters are located in Hilversum ...

in 2018.

Track listing

Personnel

Credits adapted from liner notes. *

vocals *

Barney Kessel Barney Kessel (October 17, 1923 – May 6, 2004) was an American jazz guitarist. Known in particular for his knowledge of chords and inversions and chord-based melodies, he was a member of many prominent jazz groups as well as a "first call" gu ...

, Don Peake, John Ewing, Robert Gerstlauerguitar * Jimmy Bondstring bass *

Carol Kaye Carol Kaye (née Smith; born March 24, 1935) is an American musician. She is one of the most prolific recorded bass guitarists in rock and pop music, playing on an estimated 10,000 recordings in a career spanning over 65 years. Kaye began play ...

Ray Pohlman Merlyn Ray Pohlman (July 22, 1930 – November 1, 1990) was an American session musician and arranger who played both upright bass and bass guitar, and also did sessions as a guitarist. He is credited with being the first electric bass player in ...

, Lyle RitzFender bass *

Harold Battiste Harold Raymond Battiste Jr. (October 28, 1931 – June 19, 2015) was an American music composer, arranger, performer, and teacher. A native of, and later community leader in, New Orleans, he is best known for his work as an arranger on record ...

Larry Knechtel Lawrence William Knechtel (August 4, 1940 – August 20, 2009) was an American keyboard player and bassist who was a member of the Wrecking Crew, a collection of Los Angeles–based session musicians who worked with such renowned artists as Sim ...

Ike Turner Izear Luster "Ike" Turner Jr. (November 5, 1931 – December 12, 2007) was an American musician, bandleader, songwriter, record producer, and talent scout. An early pioneer of 1950s rock and roll, he is best known for his work in the 1960s and ...

, Michael Rubinipiano * Jim Gordon,

Earl Palmer Earl Cyril Palmer (October 25, 1924 – September 19, 2008) was an American drummer. Considered one of the inventors of rock and roll, he is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Palmer was one of the most prolific studio musicians of al ...

drums * Frank Capp, Gene Estespercussion * Roy Caton, Oliver Mitchelltrumpet * John Ewing, Lew McCrearytrombone *

Plas Johnson Plas John Johnson Jr. () (born July 21, 1931) is an American soul-jazz and hard bop tenor saxophonist, probably most widely known as the tenor saxophone soloist on Henry Mancini’s " The Pink Panther Theme". He also performs on alto and bar ...

Jim Horn James Ronald Horn (born November 20, 1940) is an American saxophonist, woodwind player, and session musician. Biography Horn was born in Los Angeles, and after replacing saxophonist Steve Douglas in 1959, he toured with member Duane Eddy for ...

, Jim Miglioritenor sax * Robert Gerstlauer,

baritone sax *

The Ikettes The Ikettes, originally The Artettes, were a trio (sometimes quartet) of female backing vocalists for the Ike & Tina Turner Revue. Despite their origins, the Ikettes became successful artists in their own right. In the 1960s they had chart-toppe ...

, Ike Turner backing vocals *

Darlene Love Darlene Wright (born July 26, 1941), also known by the stage name Darlene Love, is an American R&B and soul singer and actress. She was the lead singer of the girl group the Blossoms and also a solo recording artist. She began singing as a ch ...

, Fanita James, Jean King, Gracia Nitzsche,

Clydie King Clydie Mae King (August 21, 1943 – January 7, 2019) was an American singer, best known for her session work as a backing vocalist. King also recorded solo under her name. In the 1970s, she recorded as Brown Sugar, and her single "Loneliness ( ...

backing vocals on "River Deep – Mountain High" *

producer, tracks 1,3,6,7,8, and 10 (reissue version) *

producer, tracks 2,4,5,9,11, and 12 (reissue version) *

Jack Nitzsche Bernard Alfred "Jack" Nitzsche ( '; April 22, 1937 – August 25, 2000) was an American musician, arranger, songwriter, composer, and record producer. He came to prominence in the early 1960s as the right-hand-man of producer Phil Spector, a ...

Gene Page Eugene Edgar Page Jr. (September 13, 1939 – August 24, 1998) was an American conductor, composer, arranger and record producer, most active from the mid-1960s through the mid-1980s. His sound can be heard in the arrangements he did for Jeffer ...

, Perry Botkin Jr.arrangers *

Larry Levine Larry Levine (May 8, 1928 – May 8, 2008) was an American audio engineer, known for his collaboration with Phil Spector on the Wall of Sound recording technique. Biography Levine left the U.S. military in 1952. When he got back, he would ...

engineer *

photography

Charts

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:River Deep - Mountain High (album) 1966 albums Ike & Tina Turner albums London Records albums A&M Records albums Albums arranged by Jack Nitzsche Albums arranged by Gene Page Albums arranged by Perry Botkin Jr. Albums produced by Phil Spector Albums produced by Ike Turner Albums recorded at Gold Star Studios